Thursday 7 October 2010 16.25 EDT
First published on Thursday 7 October 2010 16.25 EDT

Robbie Keane has insisted that Andrey Arshavin and Russia's other big names will hold no fear for the Republic of Ireland in tomorrow night's pivotal Euro 2012 qualifying tie, the captain protesting that it ought to be the visitors who were running scared.

Keane was in bullish mood before the match, his natural confidence pepped by Ireland's start to the campaign – they beat Armenia and Andorra last month – but supplemented by Russia's own struggles.

Unimpressive in victory over Andorra, they slipped to an undeserved home defeat to Slovakia, which has ensured that an unforgiving spotlight has followed them to Dublin. After their failure to qualify for the last World Cup, they cannot countenance another slip.

"We cannot lose," admitted the manager, Dick Advocaat, who will be without the injured Roman Pavlyuchenko, although the Tottenham striker would not have started. Advocaat bemoaned Yuri Zhirkov's "difficult situation" at Chelsea – the left-back has been on the fringes – but said his players are in better form and fitness than they had been last month.

Arshavin, inevitably, has featured prominently in the pre-match hype yet Keane was quick to turn the tables. Why was it, he asked, that Ireland should be worried about a mercurial player who had yet to prove himself in English football? "It is going to be a big test for Arshavin this year in the Premier League," Keane said of the player who joined Arsenal in February 2009. "The second [full] season is always more difficult. He is going to be a threat but we don't go into the game just worried about Arshavin. The Russians should be a bit more worried about the attacking players that we have, people like [Aiden] McGeady and [Liam] Lawrence."

The in-form McGeady is something of a spy in Russian ranks, having joined Spartak Moscow from Celtic in the summer. Advocaat expressed his "surprise" that the winger had done "so well, so soon; most players need more time to settle" while the Ireland manager, Giovanni Trapattoni, spoke of something being "unlocked" in McGeady. The 24-year-old has been identified as a key player but the importance of Richard Dunne's presence, after a knee injury scare, cannot be understated.

Ireland hope to go to Slovakia on Tuesday with a six-point advantage over Russia. For that to happen, they must buck a recent trend; under Trapattoni, they have enjoyed creditable draws against the more established nations in competitive fixtures but have yet to beat them.

"This game has come at the right time for us," Keane said. "The experience we have from the World Cup campaign will stand us in good stead. The new stadium and everything is in place and it is only a matter of time before we start turning draws into wins."